**Executive Summary**
This document is the answer provided by the Minister of State in the Ministry of External Affairs to Unstarred Question No. 2254 in the Lok Sabha, answered on December 12, 2025. The question pertains to the number of employees in High Commissions and Embassies in India, the government's rights to reduce staff, and specifically, the reduction of staff in the Pakistan High Commission in May 2025. Action may be required for countries affected by the staff number changes.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Number of High Commissions and Embassies in India:**
* There are 163 Resident Missions of Foreign countries in India (list attached as Annexure 1).
* There are 12 Non-Resident Missions of Foreign countries in India (list attached as Annexure 2).
* The total is 175.
* **Number of Employees:**
* Diplomats/Officials (Foreign Nationals): 2512
* Locally Recruited Staff: 2821
* **Government's Right to Reduce Staff:**
* Yes, the Government may reduce or limit the number of staff employed in any country's High Commission or Embassy.
* This is in accordance with Article 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961, which allows the receiving State to set reasonable limits on mission size and refuse officials of a particular category, within non-discriminatory bounds.
* **Reduction of Staff in Pakistan High Commission:**
* Following a decision by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on April 23, 2025, in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, the overall strength of the High Commissions of India and Pakistan was reduced from 55 to 30, effective May 1, 2025.
* Subsequently, three diplomats and officials of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi were declared persona non grata and expelled due to activities not in consonance with their diplomatic/official status.
* The current strength of the Pakistan High Commission stands at 27.
**Impact Analysis**
**Pakistan High Commission**
* **Impact:** Reduced staff numbers at the High Commission.
* **Action Required:** Adjust operations to the new staff level of 27.
**Ministry of External Affairs**
* **Impact:** Responsible for setting limits to the staff numbers in High Commissions and Embassies.
* **Action Required:** Enforce Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961.
**Foreign Countries with High Commissions/Embassies in India**
* **Impact:** Potentially affected by the government's right to reduce staff.
* **Action Required:** Countries listed in annexure 1 and 2 may be impacted by the enforcement of staff reductions if imposed.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of External Affairs: The Indian ministry responsible for the country's foreign relations.
High Commissions and Embassies in India: The diplomatic missions representing foreign countries within India.
Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS): A committee responsible for decisions on matters of security, including relations with Pakistan in this context.
Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations: An international treaty that codifies diplomatic law, directly referenced regarding mission sizes.
Pakistan High Commission: The diplomatic mission of Pakistan in India, specifically mentioned regarding reduction in staff.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO- 2254
ANSWERED ON- 12/12/2025
EMPLOYEES IN HIGH COMMISSION AND EMBASSIES
†2254. DR. MANNA LAL RAWAT
Will the Minister of EXTERNAL AFFAIRS be pleased to state :-
(a) the number of High Commissions and Embassies in India at present
country-wise;
(b) the number of employees working with all these High Commissions
and Embassies, along with the number of India and foreign nationals out
of them;
(c) whether the Government has the right to reduce or limit the number
of staff employed in any country’s High Commission or Embassy, if so,
the legal or diplomatic provisions in this regard and the time when such
a provision has been made since independence; and
(d) whether the number of staff employed in the Pakistan High
Commission was reduced in May 2025, if so, the details of the steps
1taken in this regard, the number of employees reduced and the current
status in this regard?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
(SHRI PABITRA MARGHERITA)
(a) May kindly refer table below regarding the number of High
Commissions and Embassies in India at present country-wise:
S Description Total Remarks
No. (in Nos.)
1 Resident Missions of Foreign 163 List of countries
countries in India attached at
ANNEXURE 1
2 Non-Resident Missions of 12 List of countries
Foreign countries in India attached at
ANNEXURE 2
Total 175
(b) May kindly refer the table below regarding number of employees
working with High Commissions and Embassies in India :
Diplomats/Officials Locally Recruited Staff
(Foreign Nationals)
2512 2821
(c) Yes, the Government may reduce or limit the number of staff
employed in any country’s High Commission or Embassy.
2As per the Article 11 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
1961;
“In the absence of specific agreement as to the size of the mission, the
receiving State may require that the size of a mission be kept within
limits considered by it to be reasonable and normal, having regard to
circumstances and conditions in the receiving State and to the needs of
the particular mission.
The receiving State may equally, within similar bounds and on a non-
discriminatory basis, refuse to accept officials of a particular category.”
(d) As per the decision of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS)
which met on 23 April 2025 in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack,
the overall strength of the High Commissions of India and Pakistan was
brought down to 30 from 55, w.e.f 1 May 2025. Subsequently, three
diplomats and officials of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi
were declared persona non grata and expelled from India as their
activities were not in consonance with their diplomatic/official status in
India. The current strength of the Pakistan High Commission stands at
27.
3Annexure 1
List of Resident Missions of Foreign countries in India
S.No. Country
1. Afghanistan
2. Algeria
3. Angola
4. Argentina
5. Armenia
6. Australia
7. Austria
8. Azerbaijan
9. Bahrain
10. Bangladesh
11. Belarus
12. Belgium
13. Benin
14. Bhutan
15. Bolivia
16. Bosnia & Herzegovina
17. Botswana
18. Brazil
19. Brunei Darussalam
20. Bulgaria
21. Burkina Faso
22. Burundi
23. Cambodia
24. Cameroon
25. Canada
26. Chile
27. China
28. Chad
29. Colombia
30. Congo - Democratic Republic of
31. Congo - Republic of
32. Costa Rica
433. Cote d’Ivoire
34. Croatia
35. Cuba
36. Cyprus
37. Czech Republic
38. Denmark
39. Djibouti
40. Dominican Republic
41. Ecuador
42. Egypt
43. El Salvador
44. Equatorial Guinea
45. Eritrea
46. Estonia
47. Ethiopia
48. Fiji
49. Finland
50. France
51. Gabon
52. Gambia
53. Georgia
54. Germany
55. Ghana
56. Greece
57. Guatemala
58. Guinea
59. Guyana
60. Holy See
61. Honduras
62. Hungary
63. Iceland
64. Indonesia
65. Iran
66. Iraq
67. Ireland
68. Israel
69. Italy
570. Jamaica
71. Japan
72. Jordan
73. Kazakhstan
74. Kenya
75. Korea - DPR
76. Korea - RO
77. Kuwait
78. Kyrgyzstan
79. Lao-PDR
80. Latvia
81. Lebanon
82. Lesotho
83. Libya
84. Lithuania
85. Luxembourg
86. Madagascar
87. Malawi
88. Malaysia
89. Maldives
90. Mali
91. Malta
92. Mauritania
93. Mauritius
94. Mexico
95. Moldova
96. Mongolia
97. Morocco
98. Mozambique
99. Myanmar
100. Namibia
101. Nauru Republic of
102. Nepal
103. Netherlands
104. New Zealand
105. Niger
106. Nigeria
6107. North Macedonia
108. Norway
109. Oman
110. Pakistan
111. Palestine
112. Panama
113. Papua New Guinea
114. Paraguay
115. Peru
116. Philippines
117. Poland
118. Portugal
119. Qatar
120. Romania
121. Russian Federation
122. Rwanda
123. Saint Kitts and Nevis
124. Saudi Arabia
125. Senegal
126. Serbia
127. Seychelles
128. Singapore
129. Slovak Republic
130. Slovenia
131. Solomon Islands
132. Somalia
133. South Africa
134. South Sudan
135. Spain
136. Sri Lanka
137. Sudan
138. Suriname
139. Sweden
140. Switzerland
141. Syria
142. Tajikistan
143. Tanzania
7144. Thailand
145. Timor Leste
146. Togo
147. Trinidad & Tobago
148. Tunisia
149. Turkiye
150. Turkmenistan
151. Uganda
152. Ukraine
153. United Arab Emirates
154. United Kingdom
155. United States of America
156. Uruguay
157. Uzbekistan
158. Venezuela
159. Vietnam
160. Yemen
161. Zambia
162. Zimbabwe
163. Delegation of the European Union
8Annexure 2
List of Non-Resident Missions of Foreign countries in India
S.No. Name
1. Bahamas
2. Federated States of Micronesia
3. Guinea Bissau (At Beijing)
4. San Marino (At Rome)
5. Grenada (At Grenada)
6. Marshall Islands (At Tokyo)
7. Monaco (At Paris)
8. Kingdom of Eswatini (At Kuala Lumpur)
9. Sierra Leone (Abu Dhabi)
10. Nicaragua
11. Montenegro
12. Samoa
*****
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